Patriots express interest in Fred Taylor

I hope the patriots sign him he could be a big help

IMO I don't think taylor is the answer. I wish they would dump Maroney and draft younger, albeit they will draft linebackers and db's. All the good rb's will be gone probably.

I think Belichick's been waiting a long time to get Fred Taylor. He's as good as signed. But this also means that Jordan won't be back. They'll be stocked at the position.

I wonder about the possibility of converting BenJarvus to FB? It would be hard for him to contribute at HB unless the injury bug strikes again...

Taylor fits the Pats. Hard no BS runner. With him and Sammy pounding the ball opposing D's will wear down fast.

I'm not too sure what the fit is supposed to be - it would say something about offensive plans for next year. We haven't traditionally needed a "full time" RB due to the spread offense we play, which is just as well, because Maroney hasn't been able to take the load anyway. Last year was a great example of "RB by committee" style that was employed. Does anyone know how Taylor does on passing routes coming out of the backfield? I always thought he was more of a "bowling ball" type of RB, no? It'll be interesting to see of there's a match.

On an unrelated note, the right Guard Brandon Moore was released from teh Jets yesterday. hmmmmm

sign him!!

Ralph, you want to dump Maroney and draft younger but how can you be sure you don't draft the next "Maroney"?? The Pats have been pretty successful bringing in journeymen or older backs from other teams. They've won championships with Antoine Smith and Dillon. Last year Sammy Morris and Lamont Jordan were very effective when healthy. I would have no problem with the Pats adding F. Taylor to that group if he would sign a team friendly contract. I would use their high picks on other positions. LB, DB, OL, and TE are positions I would look to address before RB. There have been mid to late rd picks and undrafted guys who have become pretty good backs.

in Bill we trust !!!!!

Unfortunately, the knock against Maroney (his inability to stay on the field) is the same knock that has plagued Taylor for the majority of his career.

Having said that, if we agree that the strength of the Patriots offense will once again be the Brady-Moss-Welker passing game, a committee of Taylor, Maroney, Morris, Faulk, and even Green-Ellis should be capable of keeping opposing defenses honest.

Assuming the price is right (and let's face it, a deal won't get done if it's not), I'm all for a signing like this so the front office can concentrate on strengthening the LB corps and secondary for the remainder of free agency and the draft.

Fred Taylor has been my favorite NFL player for years now, and i don't think there could be a better situation for him than coming to New England. Our depth at running back would enable him to stay fresh, and his all star caliber would be a great asset to our already great running backs. Not much downside to signing him

david - While Taylor is 6-1, 230 pounds, he's typically been more of a break-away threat than a bruiser. He consistently had rushes and receptions of 50+ yards throughout his career and at one time could be penciled in for 35+ receptions per year. Once Jacksonville drafted Jones-Drew, Taylor saw significantly less receiving opportunities.

Now, he's on the wrong side of 30 at this point of his career so I definitely think we would need to temper our expectations but to answer your question about his receiving ability the answer is, HISTORICALLY, he's done very well catching out of the backfield, but I feel the need to stress "historically"...

i want them to draft a speed rb , that is what is missing from our rb's , a guy who can take it 60 yards

It makes no sense to dump Maroney. It would actually cost MORE on this year's cap to cut Maroney than to keep him. ($1.7M cap hit to keep him, $2.1M cap hit to cut him). When healthy, he's not a bad running back. We saw what he can do towards the end of '07 when he was running over people. The question is just how much you can get out of him before he gets hurt. But with Taylor, Morris, Faulk, and Green-Ellis on the team, Maroney wouldn't get that many touches anyway.

BTW, Maroney is blazing fast. In terms of raw speed, you don't get much faster from the RB position. He has to actually find a hole to run through before he can show it off though.

I would spend more time trying to resign Lamont Jordan who canm be a major factor if given time with the ball.

As far as Maroney goes, with Kevin Faulk at, or near the end of his great career, Maroney could easily fir the bill as the 3rd down back. I have always wanted to see more of him coming out of the backfield as a pass receiver in the Faulk mold and I think he could do a good job at it. I believe that Maroney was used improperly by McDaniels.

Exactly the move I predicted before the offseason. He meets the Patriots expectations -- he's good, hungry, willing to take less money. If they land him he will be a great Patriot much like Dillon was. Only for 1-2 years so he is only a short solution...but who cares. Go Pats....in bill we trust...

Jordan, Morris, Faulk, Evans, Green-Ellis... the Pats have a talented backfield. Adding Taylor won't make the Patriots a better team. Cutting Hobbes and adding D-backs will make them better on defense and cutting Gafney and adding receivers will make them better on offense (someone who can draw the double-team off Moss).

Maroney's history

he nut n but trouble.

the only way i see him showing interest is to dump maroney/morris - the former more likely. Taylor already expressed he thinks he is good enough to be lead back so he has to be number 1/2 for us behind morris/maroney. I actually prefer us drafting a young back this time around since we really dont have a decent one (Green-ellis is OK)

Thanks mark, that was great insight.

David

I think signing Taylor is an intriguing option, but only at the right price. This only happens if we decide not to resign Jordan, who I thought was very impressive at the end of the year. For all those who want a pure speedster at running back, it's not in the cards. Bill prefers north-south runners who are hard-nosed and tend to eat up the clock (Smith, Dillon, Morris, Jordan). Maroney has a combination of power and speed, but he can't stay on the field. Dave, why would we cut our best cornerback in Hobbs? We need to make additions, not subtractions. By the way, Gaffney is a free agent, and I think we need to resign him. He's the ideal #3 in our system.

What's all the hype about. I'd take Morris or Jordan over Taylor at this point in their respective careers. Both ran effectively last year when not hurt. Taylor is 33, and in NFL years, that's like a 100. Don't get me wrong, the guy was a bull in his prime and I loved to watch him run over and through people, but how much more gas can the guy have left. Ironically, the only thing going for him is his history of injuries. Given the amount of time he has missed due to injuries may have actually preserved some tread on his tires. Ultimately, there is only one Patriots motto in which I believe, and that is "In Bill We Trust".

what about emmit smith,is he available

Taylor is only a short-term solution. Maroney is supposed to be the long-term answer but so far he has been a bust. He is definitely fast enough and strong enough to be an elite back in this league. Whether or not he achieves that status is up to him.
If Jordan is not on their radar screen, then Taylor makes sense. He isn't an every down back any more but the Pats did very well with a running back by committee. Besides with Brady back next season, we'll be throwing the ball downfield a lot more.

I think the pats need to give maroney one more shot and bring back Jordan. They have to get something for thier backup QB in order to improve the DB backfield which is thier biggest need

maroney has shown promise (like end of 07) but overall his production looks worse than morris... almost everytime i see him play he gets stuffed in the back. He is not tough like barber and he seems to always try to avoid contact and thus not being very productive.

herschell walker wasn't available???? fred taylor is washed up. he is old and cannot help this team who already has 5 running backs!!!

sign him he could be a big factor instead of a 11 and 5 season

No way! The fact is he is over 30 and RB's with his milage typically fade (notwithstanding Corry Dillon).

Love him, dont get me wrong, but we need to draft some fliers in the middle rounds and hopefully we land a Darren Sproles type playa.

Unless he comes with a deep discount, i think Fred is gonna have to find another neighborhood.

all you taylor advocates are insane. He is 33 years old! he rushed for 556 yards and a td last year! get real. We need someone younger and faster and Maroney is not it. same guys cheering to bring him in are the same guys who were so ready to bring in Deltha o neal and we all know how that worked out. Let BJGE develop.

I like it! Ralph, I don't think the Pats are looking for "the answer." I think they are looking for solid, talented players that can help them win. And Fred Taylor fits the bill!

Also, I think it would be very foolish to give up on Maroney.

A guy nicknamed "Fragile Fred" is not the guy you want to bring in when Maroney, Morris, and Jordan all missed significant time due to injuries in 2008.
He'll play somewhere this year, and he'll be pretty good, but the risk/reward for the Pats doesn't work out unless he can also play on special teams and mentor younger players (if they sign Taylor, it means they're also drafting a runningback on Day 1).
I really like this guy - he has deserved much better over his career - it's been successful in retrospect, but he could have been an all-time great if he could have stayed on the field during the early part of his career.

Don't look at last season's stats on Fred. The Jaguars offensive line was decimated by bullets and injuries early in the season and unable to create opportunities for Fred to run. Fred creates magic on the field and whoever ends up signing him is getting a fantastic player, both on and off the field. He is one of the truly greats, and his talent has been mostly hidden by the small market we have in Jacksonville as well as some questionable coaching decisions this past season.

What's the plan here, bring in several injury-prone guys and just hope that they rotate their injuries so that one can stay in the lineup at all times? I hope the Bills bite on Fred Taylor, then maybe BB could take a shot at Fred Jackson who is younger, hungrier to prove himself and probably cheaper.

Fred Taylor, *shakes head*... It's hit or miss with this guy. I think he's had a great NFL run, he's going into his 12th season this year and he's had 7 thousand yard seasons. But let's look at his resume...he doesn't score TDs, he doesn't catch passes, and hes an OK pass blocker. With the MVP coming off that injury/cheap shot I want someone who can create space and more time back there. The guy is a work horse, and tha'ts an awesome quality to have at his position..but let's remember... This is a PASSING team. We've got the best QB on the planet (plus the best backup the games seen since Brady) , 2 of the best recievers in the league and some promising tight ends. The Pats have a lot of names listed at RB. I think the 2 most important names on that list are Kevin Faulk and Sammy Morris, enough said about those two. Maroney has been a bust so far but he JUST turned 24, let's keep that in mind, and has 388 total carries in his career.... I think inviting Taylor to camp, work him out and see how he fits with this offense can't hurt. The guy is a "good" player... but sooner or later we've gotta think long term. They need "THE GUY"... a star RB... at 33, Fred Taylor is not a necessity, he's an experienced option to consider. If Maroney finishes this year with more shoulder shrugging numbers, I think his #39 will be available for someone else in 2010-11

i'm a big fred tayler fan i was a jag fan just because of tayler but now i'm pats all the way with fred at RB who can stop us?